Siemens Energy, Inc. and Calpine Corporation signed an agreement to upgrade approximately one-third of the independent power producer’s fleet of Siemens F Class gas turbines, with an option to upgrade additional units. The Siemens technology upgrades on each unit are intended to add incremental capacity while improving the efficiency of the entire engine. Calpine intends to implement these upgrades over the next several years. The contract value is more than USD110 million.
Calpine currently operates 38 Siemens F Class gas turbines in the United States, primarily in California and Texas. The thermal performance upgrade to the Siemens SGT6-5000F combustion turbine is intended to increase base load power, while significantly improving the overall base load heat rate. The scope of the technology upgrades for the turbines will vary from unit to unit, but will generally include combustion turbine components, operational enhancements and installation services.
“Increasing efficiency through the modernization of the existing power generation fleet helps our customers produce environmentally compatible electricity to meet the nation’s future energy demand,” states Randy Zwirn, CEO of Siemens Energy’s Service Division. “Siemens considers these upgrades to be an important step in helping make Calpine’s fleet a more competitive force in the changing energy landscape.”
"Calpine applauds Siemens' design of this highly efficient retrofit that allows us to upgrade our turbine-generators. We look forward to providing this clean, reliable and efficient additional capacity to our customers throughout the United States," said Tom Webb, Calpine

Alstom has been awarded a contract by RWE npower plc for the design and construction of a 2000 MW gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Pembrokeshire, Wales in the United Kingdom.
The plant will be built on the site of the previous oil-fired power station and will include five Alstom GT26 turbines and accompanying core components. With an output of approximately 2000 MW, it will be the largest and one of the most efficient of its kind in the UK, capable of supplying power to around three million homes.
This project is the second one that Alstom has signed with RWE npower in the UK. Alstom is also building the Centrica's Langage and E.On's Grain power plants. Including this latest contract, these four power plants will add close to 6 GW of new electrical power to the UK grid.
Approximately 40% of the UK energy fleet was built before 1975 and will need replacement in the short to medium term.